Will I ruin my non down sleeping bag with spray on water repellent.

[SALLYS]

I just returned home from a 3 day hang out. Early this morning a strom blew in, high winds, lots of rain and some white rain (snow).

First night was fine, cold clear and beautiful, I was right at the mouth of the Columbia River. We had a hard frost but no rain. Clear sky just perfect. Stayed warm and dry.

Second night, Central Oregon Coast, once again, beautiful, cool, but not cold about +40.

Third night, cool, a little over freezing. I was right on the coast, I had myself all packed in, sleeping bag, window reflector, poncho liner, and felted wool blanket. Hennessy hammock, tarp, underblanket, everyting just right. I went to sleep, I heard the wind come up and the rain start, I thought oh, yeah, I am ready, I will stay dry. I did not, water blew up and under the tarp, the rain became pretty wild, I stayed put, this time (second time this has happened@ this campspot).

I am going to make a Bivy in the morning. However, I wonder if I spray my sleeping bag with water repellent, will that ruin the fill? Is spray on better than wash in? This getting soaked is not cool. It seems like this beautiful spot is a very wet place to camp, I love it but not being soaked.

Please give me some insight into keeping my gear dry in the middle of gale force winds. My rainfly works great most of the time, just when the rain and wind seem to come from all different directions. SallyS

[Gary_R]

you might.. it would ruin the breath-ability and make it hard to dry it out if moisture got in. Better to get a nice Under Cover

WHen you can invest in a larger tarp or one with doors.
If you pitch your tarp right and facing the right way you should be able to stay dry though.

[G.L.P.]

Just do the outside shell and i don't see why it would cause any problems ...
most sleeping bags and quilts already have DWR coating on them so it won't take away from the breathability of the sleeping bag
i do my quilts once a year

[L.D. Cakes]

Spraying your sleeping bag wont hurt the stuffing but you shouldn't have too....What size is your tarp? How are you positioning it? During times of rain I pitch low, right over my hammock ridge line and bring the sides down almost to the ground. Also if the tarp ridge line is long enough you can fold in the ends like doors and close it off. One side usually is good enough if you know which way the weather is coming from.
Here's a pic of a 12X9.5 tarp I picked up for 35 bucks pitched in winter mode.
[IMG][/IMG]

[Rain Man]

... if I spray my sleeping bag with water repellent, will that ruin the fill? ...

I sprayed my down sleeping bag, and the spray can even said "sleeping bags" on it, to my recollection. Got the stuff at REI.

But it sounds like your wind situation might be better addressed some other way (different rain fly or pitched a different way).

Rain Man

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[BillyBob58]

I don't think that DWR spray would hurt breathability. I know some of the stuff is meant to spray on to Goretex and similar clothing. But can't say for sure about the stuff you plan to use.

A HH SuperShelter would solve this problem, but that is a long discussion as to if you would want to go that route, plus it is something else you would have to buy. I'm guessing you want to make what you have work?

Are you using the stock HH "diamond" shape tarp? If so, were you hanging it from the trees or the hammock suspension? I have never understood how folks stay dry with this tarp in sideways rain without the Super Shelter or something similar. But some people do manage. It calls for precision tarp pitching. And a sheltered site is a big help also.

You need to be as close to the tarp as possible. If you tie the tarp to the trees, you will have a nice tight pitch, but when you get in the hammock you will sag way under the tarp and be quite exposed to anything that does not come straight down. ( Tieing the tarp to the trees below where your hammock straps are will help this problem).

If you attach tarp to hammock suspension prussicks EXACTLY as directed, you will have MUCH better coverage. But you will have a loose, flapping tarp after you get in. Things that will help this are: hanging weighted stuff sacks form the tarp's mitten hooks on each side, adding short shock cord to the side tie outs.

The easiest, though not the cheapest or lightest, way of solving this is to have a bigger tarp. One that is big enough that you have adequate coverage even after you sag away from the tarps ridge. Either that or some sort of cover like the HH SS under cover or a 2Q UQ protector.

[PDA]

You could sling a (approx.) 10x5 tarp or other WP material such as space blanket under your hammock. Google garlington hammock for more information. As suggested above, mount your tarp closer to the hammock and pull the sides down close to the sides. Vids of this are shown on the Hennessy site.

[wisenber]

+1 on tarp selection and tarp pitch.
If the rain is blowing in and the wind direction is changing, it is pretty darned hard to stay dry underneath. Hanging your tarp "low and tight" will reduce most rain from getting on top of you. Using a bottom weathershield will be more useful on the bottom than spraying your bag.
I've found the worst weather to keep my insulation dry is a rolling fog or mist. The more moisture you keep out usually results in more condensation being kept in.
It's always a balancing act in those situations.
Don't forget, site selection is your friend as well. If you can put a hill or ridge (or even dense foliage) between you and the windblown rain, many of your problems regarding moisture will never surface.

[SALLYS]

This camping spot is right next to a cliff over looking the Pacific. It blows from every direction. I tried having some foliage around me. I about broke my neck trying to get out of the hammock, I found a ditch I did not know was there, and the plants made it very difficult to move, since they were all wind blown. I have a serious heart condition that makes it hard to breath, in the wind. So, in the future I will stay out of the foilage. I am making a Typhoon type rainfly, I love this spot, and I intend to solve the H2O situation. Rain splashes up from the foliage, or ground. The tarp I put on the ground did not help with the water splashing up. I am short so hanging higher is not going to work for me. This trip I had my rainfly close to the hammock, however, the rain still came on in.

The storm did have very high winds, they did lots of damage, from what the news said tonight. As near as I can tell the wind whips around, from the south then from the Ocean, then the east. The normally the wind comes from the west. When it is storming any direction is fair game.

I will play with the suggestions made here, and see if I can have a dry night in this spot.

[L.D. Cakes]

It's never a problem but a challenge for a woman who can take a challenge head on! With your strategy you will conquer this! Good luck to ya Sister!
Cakes